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How to get a domicile certificate

Expert Speak

Medical and engineering students running around to get their admission done need to have domicile certificate while applying for admissions. Cityplus gives you a lowdown on how to get the domicile and what role it plays.

The state had issued a government resolution (GR) making it mandatory for applicants to furnish domicile certificates while taking admissions for professional courses like engineering and pharmacy, medical among others. This news has seen the sudden rush of students at the district collector’s office, who are the issuing authority for it.

How to apply for domicile

Domicile is a certificate of proof or evidence that the concerned person is living in Mumbai for more than 15 years. Domicile certificate is issued at district collector’s office. One can get the domicile form at the collector’s office, which is available at nominal cost. If the person is born in Mumbai does not need an affidavit, but his birth is out of Mumbai he needs to make an affidavit, which is given while buying the form. The affidavit is also charged at nominal cost.

After getting the form, it mentions the list of documents required for submitting the form. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday the forms are collected at the office from 10.30am to 1.30pm.

First the applicant has to verify the documents with the staff present at the district collector’s office, after which he is asked to submit the same approved documents at the next window, where his documents are collected.

At the time of verification of documents, the officer can reject your form, if the documents are not up to the mark. All the documents should be submitted attested as certified true copy.

One needs to carry the original documents, there are chances that the officer may verify it, if found suspicious.

Father’s domicile necessary

If students below the age of 18 are applying for domicile, then they need to ensure that father has a domicile certificate.

An activist Vijay Sanghvi points out that at collector office there are agents who promise to process your domicile quickly. “With every government work we have middle men who help us with short cuts, and these short cuts come at a

heavy price. Middle men are charging Rs 2,000 for the whole process, right from submission to delivering the document in the required stipulated time.”

“It is a tedious process, as my father doesn’t have a domicile certificate. So, I had to first wait for his certificate, and then apply for mine. So much time is wasted in this certificate, with no time left for processing the other various documents required for admission,” says Ankit Tambe, a student applying for domicile certificate at Kurla – Mulund collector’s office.

Wait and watch policy

Once the form is submitted at the collector’s office, the officer checks and takes all the documents. A date of collecting the certificate is given with a stamp of approval. The collection of the certificate also has to be done between Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It usually takes three weeks to get the domicile certificate. But expert suggest to submit as many documents as possible, as it eases the process of issuing the document.

Not required

Shubha Raul, corporator from R-North ward says, "There is no need of domicile. When a person has a ration or a Aadhar card, which is a good enough proof, why there is so much emphasize on domicile. Last year, the chief minister had said domicile should not be made compulsory. I am going to write to CM to not make domicile compulsory."

List of documents

•Proof of birth date: Birth certificate or school leaving certificate or a bonafide certificate stating the birth date and place

•Proof of state of Maharashtra for eg: Birth certificate or school or college bonafide stating you spent 10 years in the respective institution or 10 years of proof of working in the state or 10-year-old passport stating the address of the state, 10-year-old election card or school leaving certificate or 10-year-old electricity bill, telephone bill, motor licence, property tax bill, LIC policy or bank passbook. (Any one among these)